I think it's safe to say this was not what Chip Kelly had in mind.
The Eagles' boss still has close ties to the Oregon program he led to national prominence. Last night the Ducks were certainly on the national stage, tangling with Ohio State in the NCAA's first playoff for a national title.
It did not go well for Kelly's Heroes.
They got spanked, as Ohio State scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to blow open what had been a close game.
For some reason I think there is more to this whole Eagles front-office power struggle than appears to the eye.
In short, I think Chip Kelly wants Marcus Mariota, and is willing to do whatever it takes to bring the Oregon quarterback who he recruited for the Ducks in to run his uptempo offense with the Eagles.
You can read about last night's game here.
As far as Mariota goes, I absolutely think he'd be very good in running Kelly's read-option attack. At the same time, I don't necessarily think he's the prototypical NFL QB. In other words, if you are going to mortgage the farm to bring in Mariota, with most experts saying the Eagles would have to give up several years worth of No. 1 draft picks, you better be sure Kelly is sticking around.
If for some reason the Eagles and Kelly part ways, you could be stuck with a guy who doesn't necessarily translate to what your would expect from an NFL quarterback.
In other words, things will be very interesting down at the NovaCare Center leading up to the NFL Draft.
But then again, when aren't things interesting in Eagles-ville. There really is no offseason with the Birds anymore. Especially as the Flyers and Sixers struggle, and the Phillies offer no signs of a quick turnaround.
It's all Eagles, all the time.
Let the Mariota debate begin.
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